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Dillsboro discusses Monteith Park, ETJ
By Emily Elders
Dillsboro officials spent much of their Sept.11 meeting discussing progress at Monteith Park and Sylva’s proposed extra-territorial jurisdiction for the Yellowbird Branch area.
Monteith Park, a Dillsboro initiative to restore the historic Monteith farmstead, will be located on a 16-acre tract across from Dillsboro Court. Dillsboro purchased the property in 2002.
According to Mayor Jean Hartbarger, the land was recently appraised at almost three times its $112,000 purchase price. Initial projects have included an inventory of the buildings and property by Western Carolina University graduate student Samuel Hale and conceptual designs for the park’s amphitheater, stage, fine arts building and parking areas. Plans have also been laid for hiking and biking trails that will adjoin a planned Greenway between Sylva and Dillsboro.
Board members also hope to see the property placed on the National Historic Register, and took a step toward achieving that goal.
At the recommendation of board member Bud Smith, Dillsboro’s board unanimously approved contracting with Sybil Bowers, who will complete all the paperwork necessary to put the Monteith property on the National Historic Register. The $2,970 paid to her will eventually enable more grants to be requested for its development, because of its status on the register, Smith said.
Smith also discussed some of the grants currently in review, including the Community Development Grant and the Blue Ridge Heritage Grant.
Hartbarger shared notes from a meeting she had with U.S. Rep. Charles Taylor (R-Brevard), who was enthusiastic about plans for the park, calling it an “ideal location” for such a plan. He encouraged Dillsboro officials to apply for grants and assistance from the state, especially for basic needs like water and sewer.
Discussion of the Monteith Park project was accompanied by more information on Sylva’s proposed ETJ of an area off Savannah Drive that includes portions of Yellowbird Branch Road and Elm Street. Parcels being considered cover more than 97 acres and include land lying between the towns of Sylva and Dillsboro. Sylva officials recently discussed the area with an eye to working with Dillsboro on zoning for the area, since the two towns’ city limits are too close together for either to assume complete zoning control of the entire area.
Sylva’s proposed plan is to zone the area for low- to medium-density residential development. Leaders included the proposed ETJ in the Monteith Park discussion because any construction there would be within walking distance of the planned park as well as Sylva and Dillsboro business districts. The two towns are considering an intergovernmental agreement, which would include Jackson County, to manage growth in the area.
In other business Sept. 11:
– A moment of silence in honor of the heroes and victims of Sept. 11, 2001, was held before the call to order.
– Town Clerk Herb Nolan initiated a discussion regarding the possibility of implementing revitalization projects in Dillsboro similar to recent projects in Waynesville. Nolan shared information from organizers of the Downtown Waynesville Association.
Any revitalization projects similar to Waynesville’s would require drawing up a special business district for downtown Dillsboro, separating business and residential properties and levying new taxes in order to hire a town planner and cover advertising and other expenses, he said.
Board member Jim Cochran said he supports further research into the possibility, within certain limits.
“The subject has come up before, and something may eventually have to be done,” Cochran said.
Board member Jimmy Cabe also appeared to favor more research, but he made it clear he wants accountability to be the first priority.
“We can’t throw good money away for bad, but raising taxes should be one of our last options,” Cabe said. “We have to watch the process and see if we think Waynesville’s ideas have been truly beneficial.”
– Nolan presented research on traffic issues to the board. Speed violations on Haywood Road, between Harold’s Supermarket and its intersection with U.S. 441, are becoming dangerous. Options discussed included contracting off-duty sheriff’s officers, as Webster has done, and the use of cameras to record and track violators, although such cameras would have to be approved through the state legislature, Nolan said.
The town is also pursuing crosswalk signs that would advertise the state statute that requires moving vehicles to yield to pedestrians.
– Board members discussed the newly-formed Council of Citizens and Merchants, which was organized to provide a forum for both residents and businesses to discuss initiatives and issues before they are presented to the town board. The group’s purpose includes an expressed desire for better communication between residents of Dillsboro and its business leaders. Susan Owen is the group’s chairman.
– Mayor Hartbarger apologized to the board for a recent letter she signed requesting state officials mandate a public hearing prior to reissuing Duke Energy’s water quality certifications. Similar letters were mailed from other towns and from both Jackson and Macon counties; however, Dillsboro’s letter violated the Cooperative Stakeholder’s Agreement that Dillsboro signed several years ago. Hartbarger asked for the letter to be rescinded, and the matter has been taken care of, she said.
– Board members commended the Dillsboro Smokehouse, which placed in the National Geographic Barbeque Contest, and the Olde Towne Inn, which was written up in The News and Observer of Raleigh.
– Board members unanimously approved Cabe’s petition to repave some sections of Hill Street and Reservoir Street, in addition to the planned repaving work to be done on Moody Road and Hemlock Street.
– Two zoning permits were approved unanimously, one for board member Mike Fitzgerald, and another for board member John Faulk. Fitzgerald plans to add a modular home above his residence, and Faulk’s allows him to raze the foundation of his house above the floodplain and lay a new foundation.
Dillsboro’s planning committee was scheduled to meet at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20.
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